6 Premier League footballers we can’t believe earn less than Gary Lineker in 2024
The Daily Mail might bang on about it every opportunity they get, but Gary Lineker’s BBC wages are actually fairly small potatoes in comparison to the Premier League’s top superstars.
The likes of Kevin De Bruyne, Casemiro and Mohamed Salah all take home more in a month than the Match Of The Day presenter does in a year.
However, that’s only at the top end – and Lineker himself recognises his immense privilege, with earnings the vast majority of us can only dream of.
In the BBC’s most recently published accounts, they’ve revealed that Lineker is the corporation’s top earner with an annual salary of £1.35million.
That’s actually more than a fair few Premier League footballers – including some brilliant players that we imagine will be having a word or two with their agents.
Note: these figures come via FBref, who source their figures from Capology. That company themselves admit that “salary figures are unverified estimates and do not represent official figures” so it’s worth taking some of these numbers with a pinch of salt.
Rico Lewis – £1.3million
The talented Manchester City academy graduate has been threatening to break into Pep Guardiola’s first-team plans on a regular basis for a while now, his versatility making him an ideal candidate to plug various gaps amid their current injury-hit crisis.
The teenager is a more than useful squad player but it’s believed he only earns a small fraction of some of his Manchester City team-mates. It’s reported that his current contract, which runs to 2028, is worth £25,000 a week – or £1.3million a year.
Liam Delap – £1.04million
England youth international Delap departed Manchester City on a permanent basis in the summer following a series of eye-catching loans in the Championship.
He’s been talked up as a future star, and it’s not difficult to see why, with six Premier League goals in his first 11 appearances for new club Ipswich Town. Those contributions could well prove invaluable when it comes to the Tractor Boys’ prospects of staying up.
His wages are said to be about £20,000 a week, netting just over a million quid a year.
Fellow Ipswich players Chiedozie Ogbene, Jack Clarke, Sammie Szmodics, Leif Davis and Dara O’Shea are all reportedly on little more than that – it stacks up that their wage bill is comfortably the lowest in the Premier League.
Curtis Jones – £780,000
Jones is approaching 150 appearances for his boyhood club, but it’s only now that he’s really nailing down his spot in Liverpool’s first-choice midfield.
He signed his last contract extension, which runs up to 2027, a couple of years back. But you’d imagine that another is in the offing, given that he’s on the cusp of an England debut and has earned high praise from Arne Slot.
“With Curtis it is maybe not me who did it but because he became a father – and I had nothing to do with that!” Liverpool’s head coach told reporters.
“You never know if that plays a part or not but since the moment he became a father he started putting in great performances. He already did this in the first few weeks that we worked together in pre-season – I was like ‘wow, quality player’ – but then his performances dropped.
“But since the moment he became a father he was outstanding again. I think it might have to do with that a bit, but in general it has to do with how the team plays.”
It’s reported that Jones earns somewhere in the region of £15,000 a week, or £780,000 a year. We’d be surprised if it’s quite that low, given it’s about level with West Ham’s third-choice ‘keeper Wes Foderingham.
Caoimhin Kelleher – £520,000
The best backup goalkeeper in world football?
Many had expected Arne Slot’s Reds to falter following their uptick in difficult fixtures and the injury sustained by Alisson.
On the contrary, they’ve kept up their blistering form to sit pretty atop both the Premier League and Champions League tables – with Kelleher proving himself a more-than-able deputy, making some exceptional saves.
The Republic of Ireland international could be set to depart Merseyside next summer following the imminent arrival of Giorgi Mamardashvili.
Liverpool will be well within their rights to command a sizeable fee, while you imagine that Kelleher himself will receive a sizeable pay rise given that his current wages are estimated to be just £10,000 a week.
READ NEXT: Ranking every Premier League club by their wage bill in 2024-25
TRY A QUIZ: Can you name every Premier League club’s record signing?
Stephy Mavididi – £520,000
A vocal Leicester City supporter, Lineker himself has often sung the praises of the winger.
“I think most Leicester fans are slightly baffled as to why [Stephy] Mavididi is not getting much of a look-in – he was brilliant in the Championship and actually both times he’s come on in games this season he’s made a real difference,” the 63-year-old said, speaking on his Rest Is Football Podcast back in September.
“Hopefully he’ll get a start, but it’s tough for the promoted teams.”
Since then, Steve Cooper has indeed called upon Mavididi more often. His estimated £10,000-a-week wages have proven great value, given the starring role he played in firing the Foxes back up to the Premier League last term.
READ: Every Premier League club’s highest-paid player in 2024-25: No Haaland or Rashford…
Rayan Ait-Nouri – £520,000
Another proven Premier League player that we can scarcely believe takes home one-fortieth of Kevin De Bruyne’s reported megabucks.
Wolves may be struggling so far in 2024-25 but their Algerian full-back continues to catch the eye. There’ll surely be no shortage of vultures circling for his signature if Wolves go down.